Earth-Rite® RTR

Static Earthing Protection for Road Tankers

Precision and reliability is what the Earth-Rite® RTR™ provides to QHSE professionals and engineers who are tasked with protecting personnel and plant assets from the ignition hazards of static electricity.

The loading and unloading of road tankers with large volumes of flammable liquids and powders generate enormous amounts electrostatic charge which, if left to accumulate on a road tanker, could discharge incendive sparks that exceed the minimum ignition energies of a vast range of combustible gases, vapours and dusts. The ignition of such atmospheres by static electricity can be prevented by ensuring the road tanker has a verified connection to earth.

Earthing the road tanker ensures there can be no build of static electricity on the tank and chassis of the road tanker and the most reliable way of earthing your road tankers is to specify an Earth-Rite RTR.

The Earth-Rite RTR utilises patented electronics called “Tri-Mode” technology to establish three key inputs that must be in place before the loading/unloading operation can commence. When the three key inputs are met, only then will the Earth-Rite RTR go permissive and energise its pair of volt-free change-over contacts to engage the pump, or whatever equipment is interlocked with the system, to control the flow of material into, or out of, the road tanker. Electrostatic charge generated by the loading operation is transferred from the road tanker via the Earth-Rite RTR to earth.

MODE 1 |Road Tanker Recognition
In accordance with the recommendations of IEC 60079-32-1*, the Earth-Rite RTR detects the electrical characteristics of a road tanker, ensuring the driver/operator has connected the grounding clamp to the main body of the road tanker.

MODE 2 | Static Ground Verification
The Earth-Rite RTR ensures that it has a connection to the general mass of the earth. This is a critical input as a connection to earth is the only means by which the static electricity can be transferred from the road tanker, preventing the accumulation of static electricity.

MODE 3 | Continuous Ground Loop Monitoring

In accordance with the key recommendations of IEC 60079-32-1* and NFPA 77*, the Earth-Rite RTR ensures the resistance between the road tanker and the verified earthing point at the loading gantry never exceeds 10 ohms. The Earth-Rite RTR determines this by monitoring the resistance between the RTR’s clamp connection to the road tanker and the RTR system’s connection to the verified grounding point.